Adobe Flash Platform comes to Digital Home

Adobe is bringing Flash and HD content into your living rooms via set-top boxes, Blu-Ray players and other Internet-capable equipment. If you’re thinking it’s going to be a small or niche market participating in this program, think again — content providers already on board include Atlantic Records, Comcast, Disney Interactive, Intel, Netflix and even The New York Times amongst many others. The Adobe Flash Platform for Digital Home is available right now for OEMs and will be hitting System on Chip vendors in the latter half of 2009 ensuring all of your favorite Flash-based web content, videos, applications and services will become accessible to screens beyond just the computer. Of course, we have all been expecting this since Adobe first began moving forward with the Open Screen Project but we’re pretty excited about this coming digital technology and the fact that so many big industry players are involved. Hit the jump for additional details and information.

Flash Platform News

Flash Platform for the Digital Home
A new Flash runtime optimized for Internet connected televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other digital home devices. Brings HD videos, interactive applications and services, new user interfaces and other rich web content to digital living room devices.

Partners
Major System on Chips (SoC) vendors, OEMs, cable operators and content providers are announcing support for the optimized Flash runtime including Broadcom, Intel, Comcast, Disney Interactive, Netflix, New York Times Company, NXP Semiconductors, Sigma Designs, STMicroelectronics, Atlantic Records etc.

Availability
The optimized Flash runtime is available immediately to silicon vendors and OEMs. SoC platforms, televisions and other devices are expected to be available with support for the new runtime in the second half of ’09.

Data points:

Close to 420 million televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other connected digital home devices are expected to ship with the next 3 years. (Source: Strategy Analytics: Digital Media Devices Global Market Report December 2009)

Adobe Flash Player content reaches over 98% of Internet-enabled desktops. According to data from independent research firm comScore (Feb ‘09), approximately 80% of online videos worldwide are viewed using Adobe Flash technology, making Flash the #1 platform for video on the web.

Flash Player 10 was installed on more than 55% of computers worldwide in just the first two months of its release, and is expected to surpass 80% in Q2 ‘09, far outpacing the installation rate of past versions. (Source: Third-party survey by Millward Brown that determines these stats, the survey methodology, breakdown by version, etc at http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/ )

The mobile Flash runtime has shipped and delivered Flash technology based content on close to 40% of all new mobile phones and devices in 2008. More than 1 billion mobile phones and devices have shipped with Flash by the end of Q1 ‘09. (Source: Strategy Analytics Forecast, Jan 2009) Flash Player 10 for smartphones is on track for OEM avail in second half of ‘09. First platforms to be supported: Symbian, WiMo, Android and Palm webOS

Flash Platform for the Digital Home – Partner Quotes

Comcast: “Comcast is constantly working to deliver richer user interfaces and services to our customers,” said Labeeb Ismail, vice president, Technology at Comcast. “As an active participant of the Open Screen Project, we are working closely with Adobe to integrate the optimized Flash runtime with tru2way technology, enabling a new range of engaging, interactive services to consumers.”

Disney: “Disney and Adobe share the vision of extending HD video and rich, engaging experiences across multiple screens,” said Bud Albers, CTO and senior vice president at Disney Interactive Media Group. “Adobe Flash technology plays an important role in delivering the latest Disney content via the web, mobile phones and other consumer electronics. As a leading innovator for media and entertainment, we are excited about the opportunities of Flash based applications and services coming to televisions.”

Intel: “Intel and Adobe have a long history of collaboration and have worked together to optimize Flash technology for the digital home on the Intel® Media Processor CE 3100, the first in a new family of purpose-built Intel System-on-Chips (SoCs) for CE devices,” said William O. Leszinske Jr., general manager of Intel’s Digital Home Group. “As an active participant of the Open Screen Project, we recognize the value of extending rich, Flash based Internet content and applications to a broad range of devices in your pocket, on your lap, at the office and now in your living room. We are excited to integrate the optimized Flash runtime into digital home platforms featuring Intel’s SoC, such as advanced set-top boxes, high-definition digital televisions, Blu-ray Disc players and other connected AV devices.”
Netflix: “As the world’s leading online movie rental service, Netflix always seeks new ways for subscribers to find and enjoy the movies they’ll love,” said Bill Holmes, vice president of Business Development at Netflix. “Adobe’s Flash Platform for the Digital Home offers great promise as Netflix continues its expansion directly to the television with our consumer electronics partners.”

New York Times: “The New York Times is pleased to work with Adobe on the Open Screen Project,” said Michael Zimbalist, vice president of Research and Development Operations at The New York Times Company. “The extension of Flash technology to digital home devices is an important step in delivering applications consistently across screens and will help the Times Company better deliver our high quality news, information and multimedia to the digital living room.”

Sigma Designs: “Sigma Designs has long recognized that IPTV is the future, and has been a constant innovator of SoC solutions for IP-connected set top boxes and Blu-ray players,” said Ken Lowe, vice president for Business Development and Strategic Marketing at Sigma Designs. “Consumers clearly want to access Flash based HD videos and other rich web content on their televisions. We are working closely with Adobe to integrate the optimized Flash runtime into our SoC solutions to enable a better, more interactive user experience on connected digital home devices.”

Adobe Dynamic Media Organization (DMO) News

Strobe: New software framework, code-named Strobe, which aids in the development of an open industry standard for media players and accelerates the creation and delivery of high-quality video and interactive experiences for web audiences. Strobe will offer production-ready software components for media players, reducing the time content publishers spend creating their own playback technologies.

Preview of Adobe Story: Collaborative online scriptwriting for use in film, broadcast, and rich media. Adobe Story captures metadata in the script, the earliest part of the production chain, and will enable users to collaborate on scripts and expand their ideas. A public beta is expected to be avail on Adobe Labs in late ‘09.

Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1: Free update for existing customers. Includes compatibility with RED R3D content for users of laptops and lower-powered systems, and support for an updated RED plug-in.